We’re just gonna say it: When it comes to the looming release of the Avengers 4 trailer, the internet needs to take it down a few notches. Yes, we too have dabbled in the speculation game, predicting it will surface in late November or early December. We’re not above the general fray here. But a quick stroll through Twitter, online comment threads and comics sites reveals an ugly side of Marvel fandom—one in which superhero buffs think they are entitled to this new movie footage and can’t believe their needs still haven’t been met.
We understand the desire for a first glimpse of the epic conclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Avengers 4 may very well be the most anticipated blockbuster in what looks to be the greatest summer movie season of all time. But that doesn’t give fans the right to harass reporters, studio executives, and the cast and crew with inappropriate online comments that we don’t feel comfortable publishing here. One journalist recently asked his peers to help him report the dozens of Twitter accounts that have been created solely to troll him about his site’s coverage of the trailer’s release date. Marvel fans also need to stop demanding the trailer in viral videos. (Folks, do you really have that much time on your hands?)
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Although it feels like Marvel head Kevin Feige is purposely fanning the flames—the fact that the project still doesn’t have a title this late in the game is understandably frustrating—the time lines match up with previous Avengers marketing efforts.
The reason for this alleged delay is that Disney (DIS) doesn’t want to overshadow its other major movie releases. The first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War wasn’t released until November 29 last year, which came after Pixar’s Coco hit theaters on November 22. Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph II arrived on November 21 this year, so the Mouse House is likely giving it some space to breathe before the all-consuming Avengers 4 steals the show. As irksome as that may be for die-hards, we can’t blame a studio for carefully plotting its promotional campaign. We also can’t treat each other as harshly as we have been over something so trivial.
So everyone just calm down and take a beat. We’ll get through this together, but let’s show a little more civility. The trailer is probably coming out sometime next week anyway.
